Posted on 03/23/2009 8:03:30 PM PDT by guitarplayer1953
I'm looking to buy a gun for protection and a riffle for hunting. I have handled guns but it has been a long time so I have become rather ignorant on what to have. So I'm asking the gun owners on FR to chime in and give advice on this and if possible some guide lines on what to pay for a good gun and riffle. Thanks
Get the most reliable weapon you can get, especially if you don’t plan to shoot much.
Remember one thing: Police instructors proved many many years ago that you can teach any idiot to shoot a .38 special revolver. Automatics requre more practice and learning failure to fire drills. Revolver don’t go bang, pull the trigger again.
I’ll start with the advice that your home defense weapon should be one you are most comfortable with. In all likelihood, if you have to use a pistol for home defense, it’ll be in the middle of the night, and you’ll have just been woken up, and you’re going to be pumped full of adrenaline. So, keep it very simple.
For simplicity, I think the revolver trumps the semi-auto. Although I use my semi-autos for target and carry and prefer shooting them, the revolver is in the nightstand. If you’ve got enough time to arm yourself with a shotgun, thats better than a pistol. Keep one nearby.
The Taurus Judge revolver is an excellent choice for home defense because it fires both the .45 and the .410 shotgun shell. With the .410 you don’t have to have perfect aim, which you won’t have in the dark and pumped up on adrenaline. Even police, with all their training, miss more than they hit in a gunfight.
For home defense you also need to carefully consider your ammo. A big caliber full metal jacket round is not going to stop at the first wall it encounters. You need frangible ammo that expends all it’s energy in the first few inches of penetration and stops. I use Extreme Shock www.extremeshockusa.com in all my home defense guns. Yes its expensive but I don’t shoot it. When the gun is loaded and in the night stand, its loaded with Extreme Shock, at the range I shoot something else.
I read through all of the responses to your post: there is some good information there and some I do not agree with.
I keep a loaded 9mm Makarov pistol in the nightstand drawer. I do have other options - other pistols or revolvers, a Winchester 1300 Defender shotgun, or perhaps a Winchester lever action carbine in .357 magnum.
I favor this pistol because it is very reliable, I know it well and shoot it accurately. I keep this pistol with a loaded magazine inserted, but nothing in the chamber. I do this because I have small grandchildren. While I take great pains to keep it out of their reach, I rest easier knowing they lack the strength to rack a round into the chamber. They are capable of slipping off the safety if it had a round chambered.
I agree with some of the other posters that a mid-sized revolver in .38 SPL is simplicity itself. I think it is the best bet for someone with limited experience with a handgun.
I love lightweight snubbies in .38 SPL, but I do not consider this a beginner’s gun. With the short barrel and stout recoil, you have to prectice to be good with it.
I disagree that it is impossible to miss with a shotgun: the pattern is only a couple of inches wide if shooting from across the room.
I also disagree with the use of magnum buckshot. I watch the Outdoor Channel on Wednesday evenings, when all the shooting shows are on. One of the personal defense shows simulated what happens with various loads and calibers when shot through a sheetrock wall.
They were simulating shooting at a bad guy with a hallway and a bedroom as your backstop. For shotgun, the buckshot loads went completely through all the walls. Birdshot was stopped by the second wall.
9mm ball ammo also went completely through all walls. Penetration was less with JHP. Imagine your children sleeping in that bedroom, and you will get their point. It certainly made me rethink some of the concepts I have accepted for years.
I've had one for years. Love it.
Saiga12
Cons: Heavy with large mags. Your limited to 2 3/4” shells in the USA mags & drums; 3” fit into the mags, but will split them under fire. You need the Saiga factory 5 or 8 round mags to use the 3” shells. Mags and drums are expensive.
Pros: Have you ever shot a drum feed shotgun? OH HELL YEA!!!! Reliable and a blast to shoot.
Do any of you all have an opinion of GUNBROKER.COM?
thumbs up.
Get all you can. While you can. Not really kidding. I used to think one was enough. Up to 6 now. Doubled my number since Nov. Before that it was 7 years since I bought anything. Lots and lots of ammo too. Went from 50 rounds, to 3500 since Nov. Not shooting them off for shits-n-giggles either. Saving for now. Very very expensive. Go to a big store where there are hundreds of guns on display (I like my Gander Mountain)find a nice salesman who is a gun collector, have him show you around. Handle lots of guns. You’ll soon find what is right for you.
Home protection, concealed carry, open carry, car?
Pump shotgun for home, hammerless 38 for concealed, big handgun for open carry or car
hunting
What are you hunting. You should use something different for squirrels than you would for buffalo.
A 12 gauge shotgun inside your home loaded with bird shot will at 15’ will blast a hole in flesh just like a bullet with little over penetration if you miss.
A hand gun can over shoot even if you hit your target at a close range.
A hand gun is easier to move around in the night when you are woke up from a sound sleep.
A 12 gauge shotgun can also be used legilly in most cases for hunting deer and smaller game.
I like CDNN
I’ve looked into many a different items since posting this last night. Here is what I will begin buying a mossberg 500 ag .410 the reason for the 410 I can use bird shot, slug, and what is called a deer shot which looks like a regular bullet not a shotgun shell. The Ag has a Tommy gun style handle on the pump action and I can put a shorter butt on it like a hand gun and return it back to the regular butt for hunting game. I think a 410 will be easier to handle than a 12ga for close encounters so to say and it has almost the stopping power of a 44. I can get one with all the bells and whistles for around 400 bucks. After that I will do more asking around and go from there. thanks all
You may also like the Taurus Judge .45/410 handgun.
I saw one of them rather odd looking hand gun. They were wanting around 6 bills for it.
Beginners should start with NRA Certified trainingI would recommend training from an NRA Certified Instructor in
Refuse to be a victim
NRA training for women
Basic pistol
Personal protection in the home
and the newly released
Personal protection outside the home
NRA Gun Safety Rules
Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use
.410 is traditionally more expensive than 12 ga. ammo. It doesn’t make as big a hole, either.
That's probably about the number one myth that we see way too much of on these gun threads.
B.S. I say. If someone meets me in my hallway at 3 a.m. I am not worrying about my defense strategy of birdshot vs. #4. Better to be judged than carried as they say.
Plus, #8 birdshot just might piss him off. See this interesting test below,of various shoot X .12 and .20 gauge guns. '00' and '04' is they way to go for home defense.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot22.htm
I consider it a beginners round. Go for the 12 gage like the Remington 870. You can get interchangeable barrels for low $ to achieve your means. I hunt and a 410 is not a round I would consider.
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